Hey guys short authors note cause im writing this late at night hope you enjoy this chapter cause it took me a bit to get it right. Pleas be sure to know that I am going to do some extra spell/grammer fixes soon so there might be a couple of updates without actual chapters. Good news I have a year contract and my friend has made a very good recovery as in above what we had dared to hope.

Eternal Abyss, 6 weeks ago.

Jaun woke up on a straw bed in a green tent with a half open side. He rolled off it with a groan.

The huntsman looked around. The camp was very basic, with the well being the only semblance of luxury.

The surroundings were probably the strangest place Jaun had ever seen. The sky and grass were red. In the distance, he could see a burning forest. And above the hills, he could see the top of a tower. "Do not go near the tower, if I am right about it, a great evil dwells there." Jaun looked over with a start.

A woman, wearing her blonde hair in an elegant braid that showed she had long pointy ears, sat next to a campfire stirring a savory-smelling stew with a wooden ladle. Her icy blue eyes stared right at him

"Who are you?" Jaun asked. Trying to keep his stomach from growling, as he could not remember the last time he had had a decent meal.

"Who I am or who I once was?" The woman asked as she motioned him to sit on a log next to the fire.

"I would like to know both?" Jaun said as he accepted a plate of the stew and a wooden spoon. The sweet spicy taste was like a fire banishing the cold from his limbs

"A long time ago I was called The mother goddess. Now I guess I am just Zelan."

"Goddess? How can you stop being a goddess." A part of Jaun hoped that the brothers would have just retired. And that if Salem managed to summon the gods, they would just show up wearing lucky fishing hats. Telling the witch they were no longer in charge of judging Remnants people.

The woman looked over at the red horizon. Pain clear in her blue eyes, which suddenly showed several lifetimes of regret, an impossible amount of loss and that very familiar longing for simpler days.

"Not by choice, I would not speak of the details of my exile. Rather, Jaun Ark, I would speak about where you are."

Those clear blue eyes were still filled with the pain of whatever this goddess went through as she told him the shocking reality.

"It's a cruel twist of fate that drove you here, young man. This is the infernal abyss. It has many names as it spans over the realms. Its most common name is Hell."

Jaun gulped, that was not what he had hoped to learn. "Are you the goddess of Hell?"

The woman smiled sadly, "I am not. I made a mistake or many mistakes centuries ago, and it dammed me to become stuck in this realm. It's Ironic, I once imprisoned my husband here for his crimes against me. Now here I am. Widowed, bereaved of my children, kept by the bane of my people." She looked at him and the sadness disappeared from her face. "But with one final chance to do some good in this cosmos. So, what do you say, sir ark. Would you be interested in going from knight to paladin."

Present Time.

"Jaune...Jaune...JAUNE!"

Jaune sat up and looked into Hana's brown eyes. The rabbit Faunus was in clear distress. This was nothing new - she had been sleeping badly since the rescue mission to the Deathlock farmstead had returned with only Gabriel's horribly scarred body. He had been placed in the barn with the other dead, who had been dragged away leaving bloody trails nobody dared to follow, and everything from seeds to produce was gone. Hana had cried her eyes out at the loss of her friends, and Jaune had only been able to hold her, feeling like a total failure of a boyfriend. But this time Hana was grinning.

"Angela made it back."

Jaune was awake at once and threw on his hoodie. They made their way through the streets of the settlement. It had been a chore and a half to gather the other people who had fallen down the void. So when Jaune found the Overwatch members, it was a blessing. They had been instrumental in saving survivors. It was mostly Brigitte to thank for the fact that the scrap and tents they used to sleep in had turned into something that actually resembled a town. Then there was Hana. Hana was the best thing to happen in months. Fierce, funny, and never giving up. She was a champion, a star pilot. Jaune had expected her to always be like that until he had found her crying as he made his way to the guard tower. They had talked long that night - talked about their losses, about what they would do when they returned home. On the next shift, they talked about the future. Then they just sat there in silence. After the night of silence, they had kissed. They began visiting each other's cabins, and then stuff started to get misplaced - a pillow, a skirt, a hoodie - and then they didn't bother bringing it back anymore. Eventually, they had stopped going back home because wherever they were together was home now.

The street ended at the inn. Or, that was how people had come to call it. It was the hub of the town - trading goods, getting food, finding work, and for the leaders and warriors, a war room. Hana all but kicked open the door and ran in, her rabbit ears shooting up straight as she saw Angela. She ran at her friend, tackling the blond in a hug.

"Mercy! Thank the brothers you are fine."

"Don't know if I'd call her fine, girl," Ash struggled to her feet, assisted by Jessy. "That monster did something - whatever it was, your other friend...she was not the same after. Got to hand it to ya Doc, you are tough."

Angela looked at her arm. Hana followed the blond's eyes and gasped. There was a large wound. Whatever had hit Angela would have crushed the young doctor's arm beyond repair had it not been for her aura. Yet it had not stopped all the damage. The arm was swollen, blotches of angry red and deep purple covered the impact zone. Scars from either the impact or where bone had punctured the skin dotted the limb. Dried blood ran from the shoulder to her fingers. Hana shook. "No…Brigitte can't have…what happened?"

Zelan looked over her ancient eyes, wide in worry. "Where did they take you?"

"A tower on the other side of the hills." A new but all too familiar voice reached Jaun. Hana also turned towards the kitchen door. There, with a plate of glasses, stood a young woman with deep red hair in a ponytail. Her bright green eyes watered as she walked over and placed the plate on the table.

"Hello Jaun, I like the hair."

"Phyra. How?"

The smile fell off the huntress's face. "It was...him."

"A tower?" She looked at Mako. "You said the attacker had a troop of monsters earlier. Did they look like these?"

The goddess raised her hands and conjured four images - four kinds of impish creatures.

The boar faunus nodded. "The brown and red ones."

"An Overlord. An Overlord has come. What an evil fortune is this. And with the power to raise the dead - he can't have done that all alone."

Jamie spoke up next. "Who the fuck could have handed him that trick?"

Jaun looked at the goddess, remembering he had seen someone that could return the dead to life before. The goddess walked over to a cabinet and took out a crude chess set, placing it on an empty table.

"Chess?" Ash asked.

"He despises boredom. A game might be able to get him here, and the slow nature of chess might give us time to ask questions. Whatever you do, do not aggravate him. I have not enough strength to do battle with a god as I am."

The group sat back and watched the goddess take place. Jaun let out a humorless laugh.

"If I had a lien for every time an important part of my life was decided by chess pieces, I would have two lien. Not much, but still."

Phyra smiled fondly, recalling her team. The warmth soon was robbed as the light seemed to dim, and a cold wind blew through the room as a dark purple figure walked in. His featureless face framed by curved horns. Fear made every heart beat faster as the being stood in front of the table and bowed low.

"Mother goddess. You honor me with this invitation."

"Wilach, a pleasure."

The god sat down and waved a hand; two beer steins appeared filled with a foaming bevrage

The gods clanked their drinks and the goddess made her first move. The dark brother looked at the group.

"Ah I see Lance has used my gift well."

Lance? Jessy asked. "You are telling me that monster is called lance?"

"Overlord Lancelot. That is his name he will likely add of and then the name of his kingdom after he has established it." the entity moved one of his pieces. "Ah I see you want answers you want to know the what who how and why dont you."

The goddess frowned her hand sparking with bright sun like light. But the horned being waved and the light flickered out.

"I am not angry goddess you are free to ask I will answer to my own ."

"Why do you interfere with the overlord? What has he to do with remnant?"

The god moved his next pice taking down a pawn of the goddess. "Easy I was bored. I have been gone from our world for so long Brother and I came to the agreement we messed up as you mortals say. Ozma was my brothers champion and he failed I decided that if light had failed it was only right to take a chanse on the dark side." the god turned to phyra. "He is using my gifts well."

Jaun stood infront of Phyra. "And your brother is fine with that?", the room felt colder. "I know what happened with salem why let this guy bring back people willy nilly?"

That's when the inn was swallowed by shadows.

"Salem tried to trick us. Make us bring back the dead for free break the balance. I did not offer that to my Champion. I offer a trade."

Phyra swallowed. "Trade what kind of trade?"

The god turned his featureless face to the young woman. "Death for life, life for death. For your resurection the overlords first mistress sacrificed the blood of 3 others. One to bring you back the other two to give you the years you lagged behind."

Hana shiverd. "Who would do that to get phyra back? No offense."

Phyra shook her head she remembered a familiar voice call her back and bitter tears welled up in the green eyes. "She would never."

"Never? That is a word even we immortals think to be to long. You want to know why I summoned him because I want to go home and not have to suffer from a decision we made in anger. I choose him because saw him as the best option." he looked back at the goddess. "You want to know why I aid him, because that witch has missused my creation for far to long." the black knight rose and landed on the board with an audible clack.

"Check mate."

And the god was gone

Jaun and phyra stared at the knight pice

"Ruby, what happened to you?"

Hanna took Jauns hand in hers.

"Its going to be okay honey, we will find out whats happening."

Ash held up a leather bound tome. "Well we have this. Some girl in a red cloak was writing in it. I guessed it might tell us a thing or 2 about what is going on."

Nobody noticed Angela fingering a blue gem. Nobody saw the red eye look out from it at the couple and frowning.

The Arena door opened, and the minions cheered as Brigette took the field. She did not know why Gnarl had asked her to enter the arena, and it did not matter to her. There was an arena, and she was armed and armored, and her master's advisor had asked her to attend. Pondering the "whats" and "whys" was not her place. She looked at the faces in front of her and blinked in surprised recognition. But the surprise did not halt her, not as the red-eyed bandit chief charged at her and crashed against her shield, not as the blood splattered in her face as Brigette crushed her between the energy shield and a wall. A movement behind her, Qurow, she rolled away from the kick aimed at her head and hit him between the shoulders.

"So far for Ozpin's reaper," the knight thought out loud.

There was some disappointment when she faced down the silver-eyed woman that charged her next. Summer Rose, she would have loved to be family to her, but it was simply not to be. To the credit of Tai-yang, he did try to shield his wife from the sideways blow of her flail, only resulting in both being thrown off their feet and skittering across the stone floor, leaving bloody marks and the sound of cracking bones in their wake. Surprisingly, the Belladonas and Winter Schnee worked together, trying to shield the non-combatants. Yet again, she was disappointed, the specialist didn't even have aura to protect her.

Brigette swiped her feet from under her and crushed the specialist's windpipe. The enormous frame of the Faunus chieftain was slightly more formidable, if only due to his size and weight advantage, yet his footwork was atrocious, and soon the knight crushed his knees with her flail. The scream was silenced by the activating energy shield splitting his head through his mouth.

Then came her father and siblings, these she choked. A final hug and some final words of love as they fell asleep, never to wake again. Professor Pelodonna was waiting and bowed his head. She was quick with him. The warriors deserved a warrior's death, a final struggle, as they wished. This man met his death openly and honorably. Brigitte had turned her heart from good but not from honor, and with honor befitting the father of a mistress, she walked up to him and snapped his neck. Alternatively, Whitley was not honorable and pushed Kali towards the bloodstained warrior. Brigitte scoffed as she threw the crying woman to the side with a flick of her flail causing the cat faunus to slump to the ground in a heap. Brigitte grabbed the boy by the head and pulled back her fist. Never had she been so happy to hear a scream. Brigitte did feel slightly guilty as her flail crushed Willow Schnee's head and left her body lying in the same gore as her fellow mistresses' families, as well as her own. She saw something moving Summer Rose had survived, as expected from the mother of the first mistress.

The wounded woman was crawling towards the arena door, which opened to show her fellow mistresses and their master.

Yang looked worried at their master as she kneeled. "My lord, I apologize; I had not realized my suggestion would lead to this."

The overlord shook his head. "This one is on me. I should have known that the more powerful evil presence spell could have this effect. It's a shame, really."

Brigitte gaped at her master. "M..my lord, have I displeased you?"

Ruby stepped closer, stopping next to the whimpering voice of her mother.

"Penny, cut the illusion. I can't bear to look at my mother's portrait painted by someone this weak."

The bodies seemed to flicker and were now strangers rather than the families of the mistresses. Ruby's foot rose up and landed on the back of the woman who had looked like her mother mere seconds ago with a sickening crack.

"Because you were resisting, Master used more power in the evil presence spell against you than he did with us. He made you a perfect little lover. But there is a problem which means you are not fit to be a queen," Yang said, looking sympathetic and slightly relieved. She had narrowly avoided this fate. She knew not by how much. Maybe it was her powerful will saving her automatically, maybe the magic she inherited gave her some resistance. Or that a part of her wanted to be with her sister.

Brigitte felt the tears burn behind her eyes as she looked at the overlord. Her expression begged for an explanation.

"You remember the plan? Why Angela, Ash, and Phyra are not here?"

"Yes, Master. You sent them out to get Jaun on our side."

"Do you see a flaw in my and Ruby's plan?"

"No, my lord."

"None?"

"No."

"How about your friend Hana?" Ruby asked.

Brigitte blinked.

"She is in a relationship with Jaun, is she not?"

"Yes."

"And you don't think that was useful for me to know? My plan hinges on Jaun's happiness about her return. This complicates things."

Lance walked over, caressing her cheek. The touch made her heart beat faster. A warmth spread through her chest as she saw him give her a small smile. "As brilliant an engineer as you are, as good of a soldier, I fear you have lost your ability to see the true value in things."

Weiss walked up to the first trio of corpses. The illusion sparked to life again, showing Willow, Winter, and Whitley Schnee. "I am no longer a viable heiress to my family's fortune and company. Yet, if we wish to rule Remnant, dust will be a requirement. You just killed the two most influential people after my father, who I assure you is someone who will die by my hand. Add to that a high-ranking Atlas specialist who is close to the General. Had this been an assassination, we would be in a state of war with Atlas."

Yang was next, spitting at her mother's image while flinching at her father and uncle. "One bandit tribe-leading maiden and three people who know at least some details about Ozpin's organization, capable fighters, all three of them. Though granted, my mother has the proven loyalty of a potato chip."

Blake did not look at the corpses that looked like her parents. "The closest thing my people have to leaders, and founders of the White Fang. That is too much influence to just flush down the drain, won't you say?"

Penny looked down at her father. "A man who managed to give a soul to a machine. The sheer amount of value that gives him."

Ruby did not look away. She looked straight into Brigitte's eyes. "A leader, a powerful huntress, part of Ozpin's organization, and someone who experienced facing Salem and her pet project." Ruby's fists balled at her mother's fate. "A warrior worth 10 men, won't you say?"

Brigitte fell to her knees, her flail rolling away from her as she saw the bodies of her family in the corner of her eyes. "My father's vault, what have I done?"

Bridgette felt her hair being stroked and looked up to see Ruby. "You might not be able to lead, but you are still a mistress," Ruby said, looking at Lance. "Darling, I was thinking Bridgette is still capable, and between us five, you need only one queen more. Why not give dear Bridgette another title? Why not make her a consort to serve your queens? We could use consorts to help rule the world."

"Do you desire her in your court?" Lance asked.

"I would welcome her warmly, indeed, master, if the idea pleases you," Ruby replied.

Bridgette looked between the two until Weiss spoke up. "Master, might it be a good idea to discuss what we spoke about? All of us agree with it."

Lance raised his hand, and Gnarl walked in. "Well, at least master listened about keeping the mistresses happy. They do like knickknacks."

Ruby looked at the object on the pillow, a golden circlet shaped like thorny roses. Red rubies made up its petals. The Overlord picked it up and stood before the Mistress. "I will need an Empress for my empire, a head of my court next to me. Would you be interested?"

"Oh darling, like you even need to ask."